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Lac Megantic –
don’t Blame but rather Change to get better
With more numbers of the
death toll in Lac Megantic being released anger continues to rise against the MMA
Train Company and the head of that company.
An article I read this morning also mentions more about Tom Harding, the
train operator that set the brakes and then went to the Inn that he usually sleeps
at on his normal train runs in southern Quebec.
The article is posted
here from Saskatoon, Sask..
In a tragedy so great someone
will be found guilty and one person will likely be found to be the culprit. To find one person or one reason is the
primary goal to make people satisfied.
When Mr. Edward Burkhardt,
the CEO of Rail World Inc., finally came to town the frustration and anger of the
town finally erupted and he became the guy that was the fault.
Edward was in bed north of
Chicago, Illinois when it happened – yet he is the center of focus and the one
that they find “guilty”.
Now Tom Harding is the “guilty
party” according to Edward. If he had done his job in the way that he should
have, the accident may never have happened – so some say.
But after reading the
article from the Star Phoenix I now understand better the idea of “SPTO” – or “Single
Person Train Operator”. Ton Harding was
the SPTO that fateful night.
While Tom checked into the
Inn for his rest one of his train engines caught fire because of fuel line
problem – we have been told. The local fire department came to that small
crisis and a MMA Train emplyee was there to take a final look before he left the
scene.
It was after that small fire
was put out that the train started to slowly creep ahead until it rolled down
hill at a very high speed into the small village, Lac Megantic – where it
killed so many unsuspecting people.
There are way too many
questions in my mind before anyone can blame anyone else for what happened.
And I believe that are so
many things that could have prevented this from ever happening… and all those
folk would still be alive today – if they would have acted on the problem.
Go way back to the days when
Lac Megantic and hundreds of other small towns around the world built. The town
centre was always located near the train station. The delivery of people and
goods arriving by train meant building the town close by. It was so simple then.
Now less and less things are
delivered by train to a downtown train station – yet the train runs through the
heart of the busiest places.
There were reports of the
town of Lac Megantic’s people being frustrated with the way that MMA’s trains
cut their town in half by slow moving (and likely stopped) trains. Ambulances
could not make it to their destinations with patients that were in trouble. There
likely were times when the patient didn’t make it and simply died waiting for a
train to clear the crossing.(a potential serious scenario).
We lived in Yorkton,
Saskatchewan and often saw very long and slow moving trains pass through the
heart of the city. Trains could be up to a mile long – 5280 feet of slow moving
metal passing through the city. It went slow because of the potential danger of
a derailment.
One situation that was
comical in Yorkton happened because of long and slow moving trains.
Every night a train of great
length would pull through the city, blocking the main drags. It was long enough
to cut off all access to the west side of the city. On the east side was a favorite coffee shop
for the RCMP officers. And at the time
when the train pulled through the city was a perfect time for the Police to
shut it down for a while – get to the coffee shop together and enjoy a
break. No cars could move in or out of
the city so it was a welcome relief.
Some thieves new the routine
of the police and of the train company. It was at that time that they were on
the west side of the city and then robbed a business at gun point. The frantic calls to the Police for help were
received at the main station which was also on the east side of the tracks –
the same side that the coffee shop was on. And the thieves got away with it!
Why link this story to the Lac
Megantic tragedy? Neither situation was
funny. Everyone got in trouble – and in
Yorkton’s case the poor store owners received no help at all. Police Officers caught in a coffee shop and unable
to provide service to the community was terrible.
Why hadn’t someone rebuilt
the train tracks around the city or towns?
The Government of Canada
with all of its regulatory departments and powerful MPs needed to address this
issue. But all the complaints from Lac Megantic residents fell on deaf ears –
until it was too late.
Mark my words – this train
track will never go through Lac Megantic again.
When they realize what could prevent it – it will be moved or shut down
completely.
But blame is the game that
everyone plays out to try to feel better in the end. But Blame never makes
anyone feel better. Change will help make people feel better.
I think that the downtown area
of Lac Megantic should be leveled and a huge park created in memory to the loved
ones that are now gone. This is the only
way to make it happen.
There are thousands of train
tracks that MMA and the Canadian Government can use to get this precious load
of crude oil to Maine. They will find a way for sure.
My five cents worth today!
~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com
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